Lynn Sr. had to work late again, so the meal began without him. The Louds and their guests learned quite a bit about each other. Bobby and Ronnie Anne lived in a small two-bedroom house with their mother, who'd been divorced for five years and worked odd hours as a nurse in the local hospital. Their father, whose job had required him to move to Peru, refused to send support checks, so the three of them were barely scraping by until Bobby became old enough to snag every part-time job he could get his hands on. He currently had three and was looking for a fourth.
"Grit, determination, and a whole lotta Red Bull," he said when asked how he did it in addition to his schoolwork. As for him and Ronnie Anne, they learned that Lincoln was multi-lingual, speaking Spanish, French, Scots Gaelic, and sign language in addition to English. He and Lisa seemed to be the only ones with a knack for foreign languages.
"Kids, I'm home! Lynn Sr. announced from the front door. He walked into the dining room and noticed the two guests. "Oh, hello! You must be Lori's new boyfriend."
"Roberto Antonio Santiago. Call me 'Bobby,'" Bobby introduced himself and shook Lynn Sr.'s hand. "I hope it's okay that my sister came with me. She was dying to get out of the house." Lynn Sr. looked to where Lincoln and Ronnie Anne sat across from each other, talking energetically.
"It's better than okay, Bobby. Do you know how hard I've tried to get Lincoln to be less reclusive?"
"Hey, honey, Bobby said he's looking for a part-time job," Rita said hintingly as Lynn Sr. sat down to eat.
"Say no more. You're hired," Lynn Sr. replied while scooping lasagna onto his plate.
"Really? Just like that?" Bobby asked with wide eyes.
"Absolutely. Running an increasingly popular restaurant is hard with only two other people. I need all the help I can get!" The rest of the meal went without any unpleasantness. Ronnie Anne even made Lincoln laugh by pretending to gag while Lori and Bobby sweet-talked each other right next to her. After the meal, however, things became a bit awkward.
"So, Lincoln," Bobby said, "your sisters tell me you play a mean electric guitar. Can you give us a demo?"
"I-I don't know. I'm notthatgood," Lincoln said, looking down and twiddling his thumbs in his lap.
"Oh, c'mon, bro! You and Luna had a guitar battle just the other night and called it a draw!" Lynn Jr. exclaimed. Luna herself walked over and placed her hands on Lincoln's shoulders. He looked up, expecting a heart-to-heart.
Instead, what came out of her mouth was, "Dibs on the drums!" She was halfway up the stairs before he could react.
"Hey, no fair! LUNA!" he yelled and ran after her. The others chuckled and followed at a much calmer pace. The group entered Luna and Luan's bedroom, where Lincoln and Luna were setting their instruments up on a small stage built into the wall. The Louds occasionally had open mic nights for Luna's music, Luan's stand-up comedy, and Lucy's poetry. Taped to the brick-patterned wallpaper was a sign that read THIS IS A JUDGEMENT-FREE ZONE. POSITIVE COMMENTS ONLY. The boy and his sister briefly discussed what song to play before Lincoln stepped forward, tapped the microphone to make sure it worked, and launched into Black Sabbath's "Paranoid."
Finished with my woman 'cuz she
Couldn't help me with my mind
People think I'm insane because
I am frowning all the time
All day long I think of things, but
Nothing seems to satisfy
Think I'll lose my mind if I don't
Find something to pacify
Can you help me
Occupy my brain?
Oh, yeah
I need someone to show me the
Things in life that I can't find
I can't see the things that make true
Happiness, I must be blind
Make a joke and I will sigh and
You will laugh and I will cry
Happiness I cannot feel and
Love to me is so unreal
And so as you hear these words
Telling you now of my state
I tell you to enjoy life
I wish I could, but it's too late
When the song concluded, everyone applauded.
"Awesome singing voice, dude!" Bobby praised. Then he looked at his watch and exclaimed, "Oh, shoot! We better hit the road, Ronnie. You know how Mom is about us being out and about too close to curfew." They all went back downstairs, and Lincoln said goodbye to the first friend he'd ever made.
